Of new beginnings...

I have been thinking of writing an End of Year post for the last one month. While I thought of recapturing what I did through the months, the eternal optimist in me refused to bask in past glory. I live in the hope of augmenting more empathy, affability and humility each passing year.

This last scene from Sleepless in Seattle essentially sums up the reason why no other can take the topmost place on my all time favourites' list. While there may have been a lot of movies before and after this, no one can ever bring to the big screen what Sam and Annie unmasked to me as an audience - Magic! In a strange way, this movie has always been a sign of hope, of laughter, of sunshine...

To all those who have taken time to read this post, have a wonderful year ahead!

South Asian Challenge - 2011

At a time when I was trying to work out a new resolution list, Swaram from The Song of Life (a wonderful blog I have been ghost-reading for a while now) presented the best option - a reading challenge!

Books have been my companions in the truest of sense. Weird but true because I have laughed with them, cried my eyes out and grown with hundreds of stories over the last 2 decades of my passage on this planet. From the Faraway Tree series to Les Miserables to Harry Potter, the trajectory of my literary journey has been extremely fulfilling.

The South Asian Challenge 2011 caught my interest because of its vision. The fervor S Krishna has for books and promoting regional authors is evident to anyone who visits her blog.

Considering I am beyond redemption in sticking to resolutions, I hope my love for a good read will not let me down next year. So, I says, Bring It On!

Justifications and Soap Operas

I am back!!! Yes, after a close to 4 month long hiatus, I am going to restart my rantings.

While this blog was left orphaned for the duration, yours truly was working, traveling, shopping and actively contributing to a soap opera forum!

I am a massive soap opera fan. I probably contribute to viewership statistics of even the most unwatched of shows on television. At times, I feel my rightful profession would have been as a writer in the current Indian television industry.

My association with serials began during the DD2 era. Back in those days, not only was cable television a novelty; DD-2 was a channel that required a separate setup. My father thought that not getting a cable connection would resolve the lethargy towards studies issue at home! Classic example of how wrong an assumption one can make with their children :)

My television milestones –
· Swabhimaan – Ronit Roy as Rishab Malhotra was Casanova resurrected. Not only did he manage to break hearts on screen, thinking of him made schoolgirls across the country go week in their knees. For me, the serial was about an India I had not seen. Not exactly path breaking but daily dose of entertainment for 30 minutes.
· Banegi Apni Baat – The year of 1994 became notorious for scandalous entertainment on television. Zee TV became popular with this very famous show due to its main male protagonist. I think the name Rahul became famous not because of SRK but this show. I had to watch this show under supervision, such was the impact of what was telecasted :)
· The Bold and the Beautiful - I was allowed to watch this show only when I turned 18, exactly a decade ago. I have not stopped following it till date. I have always been on team Bridge (Brooke and Ridge) and will always continue to be so. The storyline is so warped that you tend to forget who was married/ had an affair with who but the actors manage to keep you hooked everyday of the week. I can proudly say that my ability to understand American English started with this soap!
· Any show churned from Balaji – I am a staunch Ekta Kapoor loyalist. Only her serials can make you hate weekends. They are the best stress-busters ever! Not only is the story predictability factor high, one can connect to her serials in a span of 2 days if they have managed to somehow discontinue viewing. From Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki to Kayamath, I have loved each one of those saas bahu sagas that redefined sound effects. Her alpha-male heroes and damsel in distress heroines were akin to reading a Mills and Boon on the small screen.

My current favourite is a show called Rang Badalti Odhani. While the concept itself is not new, the storyline is paced very well. None of the characters can be disliked because each one them comes with a well placed sense of humour. With this show, my television journey continues … :)

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 7

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 6

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 5

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 4

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 3

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 2

7 days 7 photos - Photo number 1

The Bajji Outing

I am a sucker for food. I can eat multiple times a day and always be ready for more :o) Having constantly ordered food to be delivered at work, S managed to get me decently tempted into venturing out of the building confines.

We girls ate at this small Bajji cart and had tea at the nearby shop. The Bajjis are made by a husband wife duo and are fabulous. Charged at Re1/- each, they come with Mint chutney that is drool-worthy. We drained the guy of his chutney reserves and hence decided to click his picture to assuage him. He happily obliged. The tea was heavenly as well.

Bajjis galore!



The Bajji Maker


Ek garam chai ki pyaali and S is a happy person!

Prithvi – A must watch for all Kannadigas and movie enthusiasts

While booking tickets to watch Prithvi on Saturday, I did not know a thing about the movie’s storyline. I only knew that it had the Milana pair in lead roles. I had watched Milana quite late after it had released and liked it. Incidentally, it was my first Puneet Rajkumar film as well. Not only did I like Puneet’s acting it, the actress was good and the movie was decent enough for a family watch. This element was what made me decide to give Prithvi a try. And boy, was it a good decision or what!
Prithvi is undoubtedly heralding new times in Kannada commercial cinema. Apart from containing all elements that cater to masses, it brings to fore that one element Kannada movie makers always missed – good dialogues. There was never a moment where I had to cringe in embarrassment because the line was extremely corny. Families can watch this film together and enjoy it. The songs are not misplaced, are good on the ears and merge into the story.
The story is the protagonist in this film. Corruption is brought down to its knees in the corridors that breed it – politics and administrative services. An IAS officer who takes up the post of Deputy Commissioner in Bellary fights a battle against mining lords, corrupt politicians and wins in the end. It is a story of good triumphing over the evil but it also gives another message – if everyone did their job as mandated, corruption would not stand a chance. Why do we forget this, I wonder? The film is hard-hitting throughout the 120+ minutes. The director has not minced words or incidents anywhere. He bravely gets his actors to mouth dialogues that come with the tag – pun intended! Reference to a puppet of a Chief Minister being one of them :)
The casting could not have been more appropriate. Puneet Rajkumar as Prithvi lives the character. He has emoted with accuracy from frame one till the end. The scene where he cries after meeting journalist Basavaraju’s widowed wife will go down as one of his best ever. Parvathi Menon plays the role of his wife with seamless ease. Not only has she done full justice to her character without going over the top, she looks beautiful without an iota of makeup.
I hope the director of this film continues to make more such films. I will definitely be there in the audience each time. I have never before been so proud of modern Kannada cinema.
For all those Kannadigas and movie aficionados, go ahead and watch this film. It is worth your while!

Will be back soon...

This blog has not seen any new posts for the last week or so. This is mainly because P has been trying to get herself into the Limca Book of Records and I have been busy as a bee with very less sleep.
For all those who add to the Site Meter statistics, there are a lot of new posts coming your way. This is the calm before the storm :o)

Another one of those Volvo incidents - Driver (a man) stops the bus at East End Circle, gets down and goes into the Ladies' restroom!! I so wanted to witness a screaming melee but was disappointed ;0)

The sole reason for my ID's continuity on Twitter - @BeingSalmanKhan!!! I will put up a link to my Twitter page soon on this blog.

A PJ that caught my fancy in recent times - Himesh Reshammiya's next movie with Sunanda Pushkar will be titled "Aap ka Tharoor"

BBMP Council and Bangalore Patrol

The Times of India Bangalore ran a 2 page advertisement on their next initiative for people – Bangalore Patrol. A joint venture run by Janaagraha, the aim of this exercise is to publish reports similar to score cards for work accomplished by Corporators. An extract –

Dear Corporator, Bangalore has asked you a question and your time starts now.
Winning an election is not a reward or a prize. It is a challenge. A challenge thrown to you by all the honest, law-abiding citizens of your ward. And you don’t have till the next election to find answers.

What a mockery of an advertisement and an initiative!

How many of these law-abiding citizens went and voted for their ward I wonder. As far as TOI is concerned, I am personally aware of an employee of this institution who did not vote on 28th March! This is what I call double standards in its most sophisticated form. Apart from considering this to be a joke, I find fault in both adjectives used for citizens. Where are the honest people? If everyone were honest, we would not have crime. Calling citizens law-abiding is insulting the word. We would not require traffic police if people followed something as simple as a traffic light. If there was anything in this world that generalization would not apply for, it is for these 2 terms.

A full page advertisement will not stop corruption and neither will deploying people to generate statistics. If I am right, these statistics they intend to collect for the performance report will come from 52% of the population which did not bother to vote. Out of the rest who actually voted, the poor voted because they were paid, some voted because exercising their right was a habit and only a few voted because they wanted a better tomorrow. Apart from the latter, no one else can get away with questioning a Corporator. If you have not bothered to select and elect your leader, you lose your right to question their office. One might contest this by saying that we pay taxes. One pays taxes because one can afford to and not because of any social responsibility.

I have been a very conscious voter every single time after my first foray into voting. The sheer newness of voting moved my focus away from the bigger picture the first time I could exercise my right. After that first time, I have always managed to read up as much as possible about candidates from my area before deciding on whom to vote for. I have even questioned them about their manifesto when they came to my doorstep while campaigning. If I have issues, I have raised them in the past. The one thing that I have not done before is finding out if my issue was being addressed. This is on my to-do list from this year onwards. I intend to take responsibility too. It is not always the responsibility of the other person (the elected representative). All these years, I have not been bogged down by the fact that we get some heinous people as candidates. It does not deter me from voting at all.

I never had a lot of regard for TOI’s content or its initiatives but Bangalore Patrol has just solidified my belief a bit more. Deccan Herald, diametrically opposite in appeal to the eye, is a much better choice with your morning coffee. They sell quality instead of glamour to their customers.

My take on this year’s BBMP polls - With a 49% voter turnout, BJP being more intelligent with early preparation and spending power than the other parties, there was no way that they would not have seen a sweeping win in Bangalore.

Wheel

Salman looked so adorable in this advert that I could not resist the temptation to put it up here :0)

Men should come up with better pick-up lines!

Venue: Café Coffee Day, Jayanagar 7th Block

Situation: 4 women in their late 20’s meeting (probably for the last time together for years to come) before bidding adieu to one woman who was shifting base to Hyderabad.

Hero (H) – Medium height, faint beard and moustache, average looking, dressed because wearing clothes is a necessity

Scene – H walks past a multitude of tables placed outside the shop and approaches the table occupied by the 4 women

H – Hi. I am Rajeev (extends hand)
Me – Urggh….Hello (Furiously trying to recollect if she had met H before and shakes hands)
H – Do you work for Accenture?
Me – No (Oh! Now I know what you are getting to)
H – Do you stay in Sahakarnagar? (Damn, the introduction as well as the workplace question did not work)
Me – No (Duh!!)
H – Ok. I thought I had seen you somewhere. That is the reason I came and spoke to you.
Me – Ok. Bye.
H walks away without any information leaving behind 4 women laughing out loud. He sure did provide comic relief to an evening that was filled with yakking that had crossed the norms of decency.

Why do men try so hard, especially when the person they want to converse with is sitting in a group? I have to say that this guy was gutsy to approach me like that. Had there not been a table, a chair and another person sitting next to me, the scene would have probably been different.

However, D will be missed, but this last meeting remembered forever. The evening was pure fun, lethal in places for the nature of conversation, nostalgic and of all the things that we never did in the last 12 years. We will, hopefully, meet again. Life is short and it is too small a world.

1 Goal - Education For All - Join Today!

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The Curious Case of Shobha De's Incorrigible Writing

I have abstained from reading Indian authors for a very long time mainly due to the fact that they tend to present India in 2 extremes – either full of cows and snake charmers or a society that is liberal to a sickening extent. None of them have come close to finding that evasive balance. The only Indian author I liked was R K Narayan for his simplicity of writing and real characters. V S Naipaul put me off Indian authors for almost a decade of my literary journey.

I recently joined librarywala to read works by Indian writers because these were books I did not want to own but did not mind spending a nominal fee for being able to read them. The first book I asked to be delivered – Snapshots by Shobha De. This is undoubtedly going to get tagged as the biggest reading blooper of my life. The story is about a reunion of schoolmates, all women obviously, after a gap of 15 years. Being set in Mumbai, the story grapples with infidelity, incest and sexual identity crises. Women have affairs with brother-in-laws, brother sleeps with sister, women run amok with their friends’ husbands and bosses have flings with their subordinates. I am not naïve to think that circumstances presented to the readers in this book are anything but true and is not happening all around us. These issues are the bane of our generation. But what the book lacks is a basic amount of finesse. Never has anything ever come close to being so sleazy, not even the Mills and Boons I read. M&Bs never pretend to be anything but a romantic diversion. Although a tad too saccharine, they have always been written keeping escapism in mind.

We subscribe to The Week at home and I have come across a few close to sensible articles from Shobha De. After reading this novel, I seriously doubt that any of those were actually written by her. “Snapshots” is proof that she is nothing but a glorified sleaze writer.

Sleaze number 2 for the week – Actress in Nithyananda’s video saying that she was offering seva!! Forget giving a massage, how can one remotely imagine touching that guy even with a bargepole?

The most carnal show ever made – Emotional Atyachar. I will write about this in a post later on. This show is screaming to the I&B ministry that we are in dire need of censorship.

Kashmir-Delhi-Agra trip - Day 3

Day 3 – 1-Feb-2010

Every morning I loved to wake up to the loud chirps of the birds around the hospital. And (once every two days) to the relieving thought that I needn’t bathe that day! :D I hate bathing on holidays. In Kashmir, a bath every two or three days sufficed :D. Added to these pleasures was the blanketing silence. And the cold. And the snuggling into all the warm woolens. I cannot describe the deep calm joy that gave me!
So the plan for day three was to drive around Anantnag. In Bangalore we had planned to visit Sonmarg on day three. But the place was closed due to heavy snowfall. So off we went on our Tavera, first to Achabal – Mughal Gardens. The name is self explanatory. The pictures would’ve given you the idea. Green captivates my senses. The sound of trickling water was also quite new to my ears. I would’ve loved to laze on the grass with a yummy book to read, to ponder, and to take a small nap :P

But alas! The mood of the travelers was quite the contrary. I had a headache – courtesy the early morning outdoor photography without a cap covering my head. My fellow-women mumbled about feeling low and mildly depressed. I too began to believe that I too was depressed. Reason? Not sure… the cold maybe, or affected female hormones or (in my case) home sickness. Fayaaz’s songs were adding fuel to the fire. Man! Melancholic men and women, howling and sobbing about their departed lovers!

The next destination was Kokernag, where we believed was where the river Jhelum originated. We first lunched at the gardens. Walked around. At one end we observed a thin stream that appeared to originate there. My! Such a tiny stream gave rise to the Jhelum?! Where did the water come from? Must be from those micro bubbles we could see towards the center of a puddle. Anyway… we moved on, wondering about the mysteries of nature.

A couple of Kashmiri women who were cleaning fish drew us into conversation. As was the norm, they invited us to tea at their home . We preferred to take snaps with their kids; there was an apple amongst them! The poor kid was struggling between his desire to pose and mingle with us and his mooku-chali (running nose).

Then back in the Tavera, we moved towards Verinag. By now we girls were a little restless. L warned that if the songs continued, it was very likely that we three would commit suicide that evening. We conveyed this to Fayaaz who promptly came to our rescue, like a chivalrous knight in shining armour that he was, by switching off the songs :D.
Verinag had some mildly warm sunlight. Traces of snow from a previous snowfall were melting. And at the gardens we received enlightenment from the locals :P. *This* place was the source of the Jhelum river! And how our imaginations had taken a walk in Kokernag!
The source spring was beautiful! The highlight of the day! The water had a rare deep blue hue. It was transparent and had several fish in it. The spring was 54 feet (or was it meters?) deep, having 3 levels of 18 units each. It was surrounded by a low wall, quite well architectured and had a couple of Shiva Lingams. Wonder how they came there.

On the way back home, we made a couple of halts. First for a break at a chai shop to drink noon chai (salt tea). That’s where we met a person called something-something-something-Bhat. Bhat it seems is a Kashmiri caste. He was a totally talkative guy. It seems the noon chai helped to energize. It was ok-ok. I liked kahwah which is a sweetish tea with almonds etc. The chai uncle refused to accept money, but then we convinced him to. Bhat invited us to return to Kashmir again, that we could stay at his place, that he considered us like his sisters and requested us to talk good about Kashmir and its people. Not all of us are militants he said. That touched me. But S told me later that he also said something like – we’re all Indians – and his countenance suddenly changed.
I somehow find it tough to believe that all the courtesy and kindness that we received by random Kashmiris wasn’t true. That it was all tourism based. That behind those smiles, they didn’t really like us.
Anyway the next stop was at a cloth store. The guy made about Rs.3000 worth business :). I bought myself a sozni work salwar set for Rs.380 which I thought was a great bargain. I wasn’t very fascinated with the Ari work salwars. Unlike me the others had siblings etc to shop for. I suppose an advantage of being an only child and having non-demanding friends. Disadvantage? Sigh!
That night had something in store for us. We went down to the hospital. And we met half-a-dozen newborns! The women were all excited to see us. They even wanted us to name the babies! Hehe no such risk-taking ever!

Why do men stare?

There are 2 elevated spots over the front wheels in a Volvo bus which can be used like seats. To sit comfortably, although not as much as the regular seats, one needs to fold his/ her legs and face either the road in front or the inside of the bus. I had occupied such a seat, facing the inside of the bus, during my travel back home last evening and the 70 minute ride was abominable. Men stare and how! Age is not a prerequisite at all for this activity. Men from all age groups adopt such stares that it feels like a hole will erupt on your face any moment. If only telepathy would really work in such situations. We could then pass on our thoughts about being subject to such odious behavior. The different kinds of stares I have come across:

The Sizing Up Stare – This look is given as soon as you get into the bus. You are immediately sized up. For what, I have absolutely no clue. This happens everyday without fail from everyone and makes me ponder if I have suddenly grown horns or have been talking to myself loudly which I am completely capable of.

See the name on the ID Stare – Starts with people trying to locate the ID card. Once located, eyes then immediately zoom in to your ID. I detest this one as much as the next. I am comfortable wearing my ID around my neck and will not change this habit for anyone. Some men who are at quite a distance also try to see your name by bending/ craning their necks into a twist. I feel like whacking the guy for these antics but end up compensating with giving the dirtiest of looks one can ever be the recipient of. This works quite well. You are not subject to a repeat performance.

The Ranjith Stare – These are the most disgusting of the lot. When some men look, I am reminded of Ranjith, the man who played truant in films in the 80’s. This one not only makes women uncomfortable, it is in a way very scary.

I totally disagree with people who say that a stare is 2 way. It is not in most cases. You get a prickly feeling and you instantly know that someone is watching you. And being a woman, I can say that we immediately know why we are being looked at. It is most definitely not because we are from the same planet. I discount stare cases where the woman also is interested. Such instances have no place in this post.

Coming back to last evening’s ride, Mr. Stare stares, stares, stares (considering he is sitting right opposite 2 seats away), gets down and waves his hand in a goodbye gesture. I so wanted to tell the kid that I am probably years older than him and whoever taught him to stare taught him wrong.

Ambulances and Traffic

While traveling to work this morning, everyone in the bus was captivated by an ambulance, complete with blazing lights and horn, trying to make its way through numerous vehicles on the road. I have seen this scene being enacted a couple of times before. It always makes me wonder – will the person waiting for or already in this vehicle survive? While an emergency is always the first thought that comes to my mind, I also wonder if this ambulance is only trying to quickly get away from an otherwise monotonous traffic jam. When the vehicles themselves are trying to get breathing space, how can they make way for a rushing vehicle? People who create a monstrous quandary on the roads are termed “literate”, follow rules in other countries and are unabashedly serial offenders in their own. Solution – bring on more cameras, more traffic police, heftier fines, a centralized tracking mechanism and a day counting bars post 3 consecutive gaffes. Also, why cannot the traffic police provide an ambulance with the same treatment meted out to a politician’s or VIP's cavalcade? I think an announcement of sorts to the traffic police hotline should do the trick to get an ambulance to its destination faster.

Sigh! How I wish I could make rules, implement and execute them :)

Kashmir-Delhi-Agra trip - Day 2

Day 2 – 31 Jan 2010
So on Sunday we were off to Pahalgam in a hired Tavera. I was happy. Because absolutely no puke sensations. I was asked to take avomin an hour before breakfast and it worked! (Whether the pill worked physically or whether it worked on my mind, I don’t know :)) What more could I desire? Health, a blank head, happy co-travellers, a full stomach, a smooth-sailing Tavera and the freezing cold. I love the cold. Yeah even when the bed was chill and when I trembled and shivered during baths, I still enjoyed it.
Anyway off we were, but without L, who wanted to go to church.
The roads in Kashmir were pretty decent. Yeah often you do find filth or slush or jerky roads, but still I would overall rate them good. Whenever we traveled on road the scenes would comprise brown fields, the snow covered Himalayas in the far background, brownish-reddish bricked houses (I think they don’t paint their buildings at all) with slanting (erm.. what are they technically termed?) metal roofs, totally leafless apple and willow trees (cricket bats are made out of the willow wood), firan clad locals and other vehicles. Praise the Lord, there were hardly any other tourists.
Women are found moving freely too. No burqas or anything. They don’t seem to be too restricted. We even saw many going to college in the mornings. My! Kashmiri women are beautiful. Flawless fair skin, apple cheeks, rosy lips and firan-clad. Maybe a salwar kameez beneath it and a scarf round the head. Of course not everyone is beautiful, but many could give actresses or models a run for their money. Remember not a touch of make-up was used.
Men aren’t far behind either. Athletic, mountainous looks, chiseled faces. Very striking features sometimes… the eyes, nose, cheek bones. Our driver Fayaaz too was quite charismatic. I generally addressed them (shopkeepers, strangers etc) as bhaiyya and I regret it now :P.
Kids. Indescribably cute. Whenever any of us saw a lass or kid with red cheeks, he or she would exclaim “There! Apples!”; it was our code word ;). I wanted to take a snap with a dashing handsome, a beautiful one and a cutie. But I missed doing the first two though I had several opportunities.
Yeah so back to our road to Pahalgam. Enroute we saw glimpses of snow, scattered a little here and a little there. And then it grew more. And more. And more. Until all we could see was either white or green (from the fir and pine trees which also had snow sprinkled over them beautifully). A thin stream flowed by the side of the road that approached Pahalgam. The pebble-shaped rocks had layers of snow so artistically seated on them. Snow, snow everywhere.

That was my first glimpse of snow in my life. Again, isn’t that some sort of turning point in one’s life? :P I did not jump up in joy or scream in excitement or anything of that sort. In fact I felt a tad disappointed that I didn’t feel ecstatic. Throughout the trip, especially amidst snow, whenever I introspected a little, I did feel calm within. But it was also like there was an invisible layer between me and the external beauty and I felt like an observer. (Any opinions here?) I think I’m growing old :D
Anyway we did some walking around, some driving and again hopping into the snow, a few times. On the way we came across a few Kashmiri men relaxing under a tree. V decided to smoke with them and I wanted a snap with them. That’s where I came sliding down the tree’s roots because I couldn’t get a foothold.
There was one particularly smart, dashing, stylish man among them. And V told me I resemble him vaguely. I love V!! This is where I took in my first (and only) puff from a cigarette. Ah nothing worth mentioning about the ‘experience’.
So somewhere around here was Lidder Valley. I actually don’t know which place exactly was Lidder Valley ‘cause I didn’t ask :P. I won’t go into describing the places anymore. I’m struggling for words, pictures will give people a better idea (even our pictures don’t do justice, that’s when I decided it’s high time I improve my photography).
In between we began getting haunted by pony-wallahs. For more than half an hour, we were constantly pursued by two. Even when we had tea at a shop (the tea guy had such a sharp nose, handsome chap!) they didn’t give up. Finally we gave in. Rs.250 for a ride on a pony for about 2 hours. We went round the Pahalgam village and hutment area first. Somewhere here I decided to make a quick snowman :D. I haven’t got any appreciation for it so far :). But I don’t care! That’s what I could do with numb red fingers!

There was a ski area there, but we had decided we would ski at Gulmarg. My pony-wallah was a nice talkative man. So when queried he would tell me about their lifestyle. His children go to school; most people there earned their livelihood through ponies or shops. Since Pahalgam also falls in the route of the Amarnath Yatra, it receives a lot of pilgrims too. And many use ponies to travel to the cave. I think he said it took 3 days by pony and 5 days by foot to Amarnath and back from Pahalgam. Below the slopes, rice was cultivated. They have electricity, water and everything needed for day-to-day living. And the place was not very prone to militant attacks.
Our next stop was at the Shiva temple where pilgrims began the pilgrimage to Amarnath. Only Lord Shiva was there in his temple which too was snow-layered. We saw some monkeys around there. The poor things were red-faced, plumpy and huddling their limbs together.
Then we trotted back to the starting point. The problem is even after paying for whatever service you use, they ask for extra bakshish. Anyway we were invited to their homes too but we politely declined. We must’ve accepted it. It would’ve been nice to see a Kashmiri household.
We then happily devoured our packed lunch, washed our plates in an open pipe. ‘Normal’ water (which is not heated) is freezing cold and can hardly be touched. It turns the fingers almost numb, red and with a weird pain. Anyway we started back to Anantnag after that.
Very close to home was a place called Mattan where there was a Gurdwara. We just fed the fish in the tank there. Plumpy fellows. And then proceeded home.

My Name is Khan - What was all the fuss about?

20:30 – Opening credits of MNIK
20:40 – zzzzzzzzzzz….dialogue of the century(why does it sound familiar?? why? why?) My Name is Khan and I am not a terrorist…zzzz
20:45 – zzzzzzzzzz…eeewwww….looks like SRK has brown lipstick on!!zzzzzz….
20:50 – zzzzz…..Zarina Wahab seems to be the only one capable of talking properly….zzzz
20:55 – zzzzzzz…..yikes….nightmare number 1 time…..SRK with an exfoliating mask….zzz time to redeem with a dream instead…zzz
21:05 – zzzz…..half-eye open with tremendous effort…..Kajol looks older than her age….proves crash diets or make-overs will never work on some…zzzz
21:15 – zzzzzz….song……..zzzzzzzzzzzz snore….
21:30 – zzz….fast forward to hospital scene……zzzzz
21:35 – eeeks…nightmare number 2 time…..close-up shot of Kajol crying…..guaranteed to scare your wits off.....zzzzz
21:40 – zzzzz….fast forward to last scene…..fallen off the couch….My sympathies are with a certain President
21:45 - Grateful for a certain level of intuition.....did not go to a theater to watch this!!!

Speak-up, Mr. Khan!

The world saw what happens when security forces of a State concentrate on ensuring a movie’s release instead of doing their regular duty.

Terror attacks in our country have not bothered me before mainly because I think our Defence Services are doing whatever best they can with whatever resources they have. There is room for improvement and I think that progress can and will be made with perseverance (Yes, I am the eternal optimist where my country is concerned). But the Pune Bakery incident was different in many ways. My inbox saw a condolence message related to a bomb blast for the first time in 6+ years of working life. Our company had a lost a very young and brilliant man to the blast on 13th February. Post seeing the email, I looked up this man’s details on our intranet and realized that the country had lost out on an overwhelming amount of potential. Not only had this young man died a premature death at 23 years, his younger sister had met the same fate with him.

I might be prejudiced but cannot refrain from mentioning SRK here. Why is this man, who epitomized patriotism and freedom of speech in the last couple of weeks, not speaking up now? Can he not even acknowledge the fact that there was a lapse due to troops protecting his movie? And when will people realize that movies, along with actors, are just means for entertainment? They can never be bigger than a nation.

Terror, somehow, seems closer than ever today. But, I hope, for a stronger country to emerge out of all this chaos. Fanaticism can never always win.

Kashmir-Delhi-Agra trip - Day 1

Sigh! So it’s been three days (when I wrote this :) ) since I returned to my immediate society. During the last 4-5 days of the trip I longed to be back home. I yearned to be around my mother and talk to her. I wanted to feel at home (what ever paradise you may be in, I suppose home is still where you want to go back to). Remember, this was my longest period away from parents (nine days :) ).
But the very first day of my return I wanted to go back to Kashmir! The distinct light-headedness that I felt till then, I could sense it getting slowly replaced. My personal and professional lives are largely not strenuous or stressful at all. So why was the light-headedness disappearing slowly? Maybe it was because I had nothing to think about at Kashmir, no list to tick off and here even though nothing is stressful work, it still involves thought.
But still I wanted to go back. To nature, away from all the technology surrounding me here. To the simple people, who look at me, who smile at me, who lead leisurely lives. Away from the people here with masks. Away from western sophistication. Away from the sickening jeans to the refreshing firans. I began having serious thoughts if I’m meant for the rural life rather than this meaningless game!
Today, I think I’ve gotten adjusted to my regular surroundings. But these thoughts still do hover in my head.
So I’ll do a flashback write-up of each day of the trip. In detail, because I’m a detail person. And these articles are largely for my sake, I do not want to lose my experiences to a human mind that easily gets caught up in the overwhelming present, thereby slowly losing the past. Of course what I experienced then cannot be exactly experienced ever again! These articles are also for my close friends with whom I would like to share the whole holiday. And if it helps any stranger on the Net to plan his travel, well and good.
Day 1 – 30th Jan 2010
I woke up at 4 am with a clearly felt tinge in my heart. I didn’t want to leave home. Probably also because this was a little jump away from my comfort zone – a frog-in-the-well status. Anyway, I got ready and my friends (2 girls – S and L, a guy – V) came in the taxi to pick me up. Appa wasn’t in station so only mummy was there to bid me bye.
The flight route was – Bangalore -> Delhi -> Srinagar.
I’m quite new to airplane travel (before this trip I had flown on a plane only twice). The whole check-in process confuses me. So during the four flights of this trip I’ve tried to understand it (I still have many questions :D). But for sure, BIAL needs to change the design of their trolleys. Why would anyone make it necessary to hold the ‘brakes’ constantly for moving the trolley?!
We met Sri. Kadri Gopalnath at the airport. He conversed with us kindly and gave us an autograph.
Then off we went to Delhi. Flight take-off excites me, gives me a high, makes me want to be a pilot. Now that excitement too is getting replaced by getting-used-to-it-ness.
Then the flight from Delhi to Srinagar. Initially the views were all like Google Maps images. And then they began appearing. Snow capped peaks rising above the clouds – parts of the Himalayas (erm any mountain in the northern most part of my country will be termed so by me). They were below the plane and so were medium sized. You’re ‘supposed’ to be awe-struck, and your heart is ‘supposed’ to skip a beat, and you’re ‘supposed’ to gasp at such a sight, right? Nothing of that sort happened to me! Why? Any answers?

But they absorbed all my attention. Then at a distance we could see a very wide circle of cottony fluffy clouds. The plane actually descended into that white cotton candy, to arrive at Srinagar.
But we weren’t allowed to de-plane! “Please remain seated. Please remain calm. We will keep you updated about the situation” announced our pilot. Many army and other security personnel arrived near the plane. Wow! We hadn’t even set foot on land and the security issues had already begun, we wondered. After a few minutes we de-planed. A fellow passenger supposedly appeared suspicious, as he was using some device on the plane, and hence the crew had issued a warning. He was whisked away by the cops before we de-planed.
Srinagar was largely brown and green. Alighting from the plane, the temperature was fine. Yes, chill, with vapour from every open mouth. “Huh! People had warned me for THIS cold!” I smirked. And then it slowly began. I first put on my gloves. Later a scarf. Then a huge coat which L’s mom had sent for us luckily. Within the next 2-3 hours I was shivering, my teeth were chattering, in spite of the clothing.
The next couple of hours we spent at Srinagar before we proceeded to Anantnag. L’s dad had come to pick us up at the airport. We drove to some shops, Lal Chowk (where the recent attack had taken place) and round the Dal Lake. By then my struggle with my travel sickness began. Vomited twice. I saw nothing on the way to Anantnag as I was rolled up trying to sleep, regretting the trip, worried as to how I would survive the next 8 days!

At the shops one finds the usual stuff, shawls, Ari work on salwars or kurtas, dry fruits, saffron, firans (it’s like a large kurta made of some warmth infusing fabric, full-sleeved and a little above the ankle, men and women (kids too!) wear them above their regular clothes, the arms can be within the sleeves or withdrawn inside to keep warm). Here we also got acquainted with the kaangdi, a small basket with a pot in it that contains mildly burning charcoal, again to keep warm. People carry the kaangdi wherever they go and even hold it within their firan!

So then we reached Anantnag. L’s mom is a gynecologist at a century-old hospital in Anantnag and so we could stay at their guest-house. Throughout the trip I’ve received a lot of kindness and help from many people – the first being L’s parents. They have been uncommonly kind to us throughout our stay. We had a “Welcome to Kashmir” board awaiting us at their home. Uncle used to bring us tea on time, regularly, at the guest-house and ensure every minute comfort was provided. They cooked every meal for us during those 5 days. Even packed lunch for us whenever we were away traveling. And this was no ordinary cooking. Onions and garlic were avoided totally because S prefers such food. Non-veg dishes for V and L. Custards, sweets, fried gobi etc. I’ve put on 1 kg during the travel period... so I bet you get a nice idea. And all this hospitality with a genuine smile on the face and not a single scorned look. This comes easily only to rare people and I’m sure I’m not one of them.
The rest of the day was spent huddling near the gas heater, chatting and eating.

When you grow up, what?

Coming from a family of high achievers, I have always been the black sheep in terms of not doing things by the book. I did not study towards a professional degree, was always vocal about opinions, watched too many movies for my good, have left behind the ideal age of getting married and work in night shifts!

This rebellious streak in me is probably a result of my upbringing – my parents are the most liberal amongst their generation in the Garani clan. While I never faced any educational pressure from my parents while growing up between 5yrs – 18 yrs, my mother did have a penchant for the BE and MBBS degrees of the world [All for a suitable groom and a happy ending ;)]. From whatever I could garner with very little observation, I could see that someone studying a Bachelors degree in Science put up with a lot of flak. This belittling cascaded into the class of lecturers available, career opportunities and even funding for a Fest!

Having gone through the, “Oh Only B.Sc.”, exclamations umpteen times during my 3 years of undergraduate studies, the new line when I started working was “Oh Call Center”. No point in explaining the difference between a Call Center and a Captive Financial Services BPO to people who will never remember it. But, is that how I feel towards my opted path? Definitely not! I have to say that I am at a considerably good place today professionally. Each day is about realizing and working towards bridging gaps. What more can one want when they get paid to do so?

The article that made me reminisce and want to write this post - http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/nayar/2010/01/when-you-grow-up-what.html will hopefully set not only the parents but those involved in the system as well thinking.

Let the kids mould on their own, you only be the cornerstone to ensure that the shape is taking the right form!

PS – I have to say that I am guilty of asking a couple of kids prematurely “What do you want to do?” Another bad habit to curb :)

I H.A.T.E. my service provider

Why do people think I need to receive these messages everyday? I just cannot wait to take the customer service guys to task for this third degree torture meted out to me through the week.

· Lowest Gold Rate 1383/gm HALMARKED Jewlery @ Goldmine Jewlery Indirangr & Gopalan mall Mysore Rd Offer upto 11/02, MOB: 9686315352/ 9535209369. We also Buy OLD GOLD – I wonder if I will get the lowest rate for my OLD GOLD as well
· Recruitment (Salary 2 lacs) for Graduates by HDFC SL. Interview at 10.00am on Feb 11 at HDFC SL , near Vinayaka temple, Koramangala 5th Block. Call 08042492999. – Cannot attend the interview on 11th, I am working!
· Enjoy Shopping Fest in UAE for only Rs.18599 with Air Arabia. Ticket Visa 2-nights Hotel included. BookNow! Call 080 66310090-92 or sms ABY to 56070. T&C Apply – Does the package include footing my shopping bills as well?
· Need Cash! Personal Loan/ Business loan, 1 lacs-15lacs Simple & easy documentation, corporate offers get best %rate. Call: Vinay – 9980745264 – Cannot understand if they are making a statement or asking a question in this one.
· “Check out CD’s/DVD’s on Self Improvement –Personality Dev., Time Mang., Attitude, Presentation Skills, Body Lang., Etc, for orders Call: 9341635660/www.buzzers.org” – For orders? How many CD’s do they think I will have the necessity to buy?
· Gift your Valentine a stylish Dell Studio laptop in their favorite color – starting Rs.40,900*! To buy, call us at 180004258120 (toll-free) *Dell T’s&C’s apply – I would not gift a laptop even if my Valentine was Salman Khan! Way too expensive…
· Domestic and Industrial Sewing Machines Branded Like Merrit, Singer, Usha, Gemsy Machines. Please Contact: 23725511/ 24842749 – Why are the machines branded to look like other brands?
· GODREJ HICARE to get rid of cockroaches, termites, rats, wood borers, 1 year warranty bedbugs(45 days)/ free inspection & 10% discount. Call 9739095934/, 9916908522 – Very confusing….If they are giving 1 Year warranty for all other pests, why is the warranty for bed bugs only 45 days? Do I live in a garbage bin?
· BAJAJ ALLIANZ FREE GOLD COIN OR GOLD CHAIN OFFER: DEPOSIT 9000/Yr For 3Yrs and Earn 54000 at 5Yr approximately, SAVETAX, LIFECOVER CALL: 9980517509 – Will the chain and the coin weigh the same?
· Prestige White Meadows Sky Villas and Bungalows. Made for Kings. Whitefield main road 4,5 BHK Duplex, Triplex 6651-12066 sqft. Start 4.5Cr. Call 9880709392 – Wrong gender. If the apartments are made for kings, why did they send the message to me?

Weekend Diary

Saturday, 6th February
I am not a morning person at all. None of the weekdays or the weekends have ever seen me getting up early and epitomize cheerfulness! But this Saturday, I surprised myself as well as my family by waking up at a not so normal 7am in a very chirpy mood (Read – I did not bite anyone’s head off for talking to me). This should have been an indication of how irregular my day was going to be. While relatives came in unannounced (I love it when this happens because you can never be prepared for the onslaught), meeting friends materialized after 1 whole year. D and I would call each other and say, let’s meet up this weekend but the lunch would never happen. When it finally happened, it was super fun! D, PP and I went out for dinner at Barbeque Nation in JP Nagar. While the food was not great (I mean, how can corn on the cob be a good appetizer for a vegetarian???), the conversation kept us in splits until the end. Remembering D twirling the girls around on the dance floor in Golden Palms years ago was one of the highlights. PP, who is usually very conscious about what he talks, finally added his bit to the dirty talk :). By the end of the meal, I could not help but realize that we have managed to come a long way since 2003 when we first met as wary colleagues. D’s personality used to scare me and I started speaking to PP only because I knew D.

Sunday, 7th February
Amma had been on my case to take her to a Kannada movie for some time now. We finally zeroed in on Just Maath Mathalli which had released over the weekend. I had my doubts about the movie because Sudeep is now a part of the RGV factory (I have come to hate RGV’s recent films because watching them feels like the movies have been made to find flaws in an actor’s make-up. He just does close-up shots with dialogues thrown in out of sheer necessity to make it a talkie film) and told my mother about my misgivings. But JMM it was for now. And my intuition was bang-on! A snail would have probably managed to go around the movie hall an infinite number of times as compared to the pace of the film. Although a decent entertainer, the movie totally lacks pace, Sudeep looks like he was recently adopted by a country suffering from starvation and the 2nd hero has a 20 inches paunch! Ramya and the film’s music were the only saving graces. However, I have to commend Sudeep for making a Kannada movie that can be watched with your family without wincing every time someone mouths a dialogue. He will hopefully make more movies that belong to a genre other than romance and not cast himself as a rockstar!

SRK vs. The Sena

I have never been a ShahRukh Khan fan. He comes across as too pompous both in his movies as well as when he makes public appearances. This is the why I do not get surprised when he gets involved in controversies every now and then.

Do I think his recent statement regarding inclusion of players from a neighboring country was anything other than an opinion? No. But, should he have made it in a public forum? No. The reason I disagree here is not because I am on team Sena. It is due to the fact that being a celebrity, one needs to be that much more cautious about what he/ she says in public. Thanks to the media, what an actor speaks in any forum is telecast time and again (Aaj Tak and Headlines Today take the cake for most number of repulsive repeats) and the audience is a very impressionable set of people across states. These people place film actors on pedestals for no strong reason and attach the tag “ideal role model” very easily. They do not understand that an actor not being able to voice his/her opinion is not about an unfair freedom of speech but is all about being responsible towards a billion people who emulate characteristics.

And why is the media creating such a furor about SRK not being able to say what he wants? Last year, a very elite news channel bullied a layman into pulling back his blog post. If this is not hypocrisy, what is?

Is this whole episode a publicity stunt? I hope not. If it is, I would say it is sheer insecurity talking because, even without this fracas, MNIK is sure to make more money than what the producers have invested.

What SRK was actually trying to convey (my take on it) – My country is all accepting and forgiving, so go ahead and pave the way for more attacks. The nation is ready to lose more lives other than mine.

Do I want to see my country being all accepting and forgiving? No. Non-violence stopped being a solution 63 years ago :)

Long Days…

I suddenly have this suspicion that my days are getting longer than the norm. I am getting far too less sleep during the night and my mind is at work even during those few hours I manage to put in. Although the result of changing working hours from nights to days (I know it is a diametrically opposite change but I have been doing this for the past 10 months now), this time around, the change has me almost feeling faint. The problem here is, this state of mind makes me do weird things at work! In the last 2 days, I have spoken far too much, dozed off for close to 5 minutes with my eyes open, missed getting down on the right floor, and have a huge list of unfinished tasks :( The only good thing to emerge out of this disorientation is that I managed to dole out some pretty remarkable stuff that will benefit me down the years. Does this mean I am at my creative best while half-asleep? I seriously hope not! I intend to recover by the end of this week and get back to being the lazy bum that I am.

Digressing a bit…

My resolution for bus travel - never sit in the last row while traveling to work by public transport. I had to wade through a sea of men to get to the door today and was it embarrassing or what! It was like walking through a road clogged with extremely heavy traffic.

We will never be here again

The title has nothing to do with this post or the continuity of this blog. I happened to hear this dialogue today while sifting through channels on the idiot box. Not only apt in the movie Troy, it is so right in our mortal lives.
Coming to the weekend, it was one of those wherein you plan to do nothing but end up accomplishing more than you normally would.
J visited my place for lunch on Saturday. Girl is a delight to be with. Her one-liners are quite witty. Amma and I went saree shopping in the evening. The saree I will be wearing at K’s wedding in April (excuse the grainy photo)….opinions welcome!Sunday was a bit more relaxed with a trip to the Jayanagar L. The place never lets me down. I will be ending my day post watching the Star Screen Awards. Shahid as a host looks interesting and apart from anything else Salman Khan is performing :)

Recollections...

I watch a lot of movies. Watching them on the big screen is a tad more interesting. The opening credits of a film somehow manage to overwhelm me every time. For some movies, I just cannot wait for the ending – Yes, I do not walk out of a movie, however lousy it is (for instance RGV ki Aag!!), because I have paid money to watch. While going through the movie CDs at home, some memories came rushing back and left me laughing. Listing them here for everyone to enjoy.

· Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke – Mad rush at Abhinay theater for tickets. A scrawny 11 year old breaches all lines and gets 7 tickets! I am extremely proud of this achievement.
· Dil Chahta Hai – Mass bunked for the first time in life and what an experience! 3 hours of exemplary fun. Writing an apology letter to the principal next day was like icing on the cake.
· Mujhse Dosti Karoge – Sad film but retained in my memory for the giggling hysteria we took to the cinema hall. Girls (not ladies or women) and giggling are synonymous. We proved this while watching Hrithik and his pastel shaded shirts. The trouble was we had the others around us giggling too, for no reason, after some time.
· Kal Ho Na Ho – My first movie at a multiplex. Rode all the way to Innovative for this one. M cried through the film. I was trying too hard not to laugh at M and the uncle sitting next to me gave us a dirty look for making weird noises.
· Bride & Prejudice and Run (the Hindi version) – M and my idea of a movie marathon. 2 pathetic films in 2 different theaters in a row. Run had an all time low number of people in the audience and it was only the opening weekend! I actually felt sad for AB’s baby. Not anymore, because the guy has not a single acting gene in his body!
· Sivaji – My first Rajnikant film in a movie hall. I witnessed firsthand the hysteria only this man can create. Also remembered for SV’s dialogue on Shriya Saran. Poor guy gets pulled for it till date :).
· Cheeni Kum – I always seem to end up with people who manage to cry while watching films. I, for my life, cannot understand what makes the tear glands so active during a screening. P actually cried during the climax of an otherwise average film.
· Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – 30 minutes into the movie and amma has dozed off! M screams for the Dumbledore poisoning scene!! I have entertainers all around me!
· Maine Pyar Kiya – I could not resist listing this one here. This one is different from the rest because I did not go to a theater to watch it. Saw the movie at home. Why am I mentioning it here? I am because, watching this, I fell in love for the first time :). 2010 and the love story still continues…

These always make me smile

1. Any Johnson's Baby soap ad on television
2. An appreciation email
3. My mother's favorite line "I know that"
4. An email from a friend/ colleague getting back in touch after an eon
5. The only place I like "mush" - a Mills and Boon ending (Yeah! I am an avid reader)
6. Weird but true - Seeing a cab driver trying to get through the drop/ pickup while trying hard not to doze off on the steering wheel. I should be scared, but everytime I see it, fear is the farthest thing from my mind.

Phir Mile Sur...exclusively miserable!

I finally managed to catch the entire video of 2010's "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" variant. I have been trying to lay my eyes on it since the spoilers for the song started being telecast on Zoom TV a couple of weeks ago. Although at home, I missed seeing it on 26th January.

As what usually happens with most over-hyped products, this one was a let down too. While I was enthralled by the first version every time I watched it on TV, the current adaptation was akin to too much fizz in a cola i.e. more fizz less cola. While visually appealing (not surprising considering technology has come a long way from 1988), it comes nowhere close to being good on the ears. One more aspect of the song that is very much in your face is the presence of far too many Hindi Film artists. While I do like Hindi cinema as a form of entertainment, I do not really appreciate promoting actors as some form of new age messiahs. Their contribution towards the betterment of our nation is close to zilch. If they are associated with charities, it is most probably because they are availing tax redemption through them. The only highlight of the video is the Armed Forces graduation slot. That piece was very well made indeed.

I am sure there are many people out there whose perception will vary, but my final say on it – While the song released in 1988 will always be the original, the one released in 2010 will only be a re-recorded rendering!

Shrinks required - immediate assistance needed for those who give away awards!

Saif Ali Khan wins the Padma Shri!!!

Why am I not being honored with one? My achievements till date have been less than mediocre as well.

2 reasons why I initially thought he was chosen as a winner. Post analysis, realized that the credit for these accomplishments also go to others!
(a) For motivating Kareena to be consistently unsure about size zero. A drastic and sudden oscillation in her size is most definitely the result of liposuction and binge eating.
(b) For getting his girlfriend's name tattooed on his forearm for posterity. This is a resultant of a very good ink artist. Had the actor tried doing it himself, he would have to constantly use makeup to cover-up!

The most unpalatable award of all seasons - National Award for Arjun Rampal (What did this guy get it for? Was it for wearing the ugliest contraption of a wig?).

All you sensible people out there, you have jobs ripe for the plucking! Get on those jury boards quickly and infuse fresh blood before these awards get handed out as keepsakes to Katrina Kaif!

Empathy is not yet dead

Another incident involving me and a driver in the very comfortable red Volvo bus, but this time around, it cannot be tagged as being even remotely close to humorous.
I have been suffering from an allergy cold for the past year or so and am close to getting addicted to anti-allergens. The only therapy I have not yet tried for a cure is Ayurveda which I intend to explore during this year.

I woke up with an itchy nose this morning and knew that it would persist through the day. So, sneeze day saw me traveling to work in the first Volvo going towards my office. The worst mistake one can do during a "cold" day is to forget taking a handkerchief along. Guilty of sinning, I sat in the first seat sniffling and sneezing away to glory with a tissue which I consider useless in such times. All of a sudden, the driver turned back and addressed me - "AC band kar do agar nahin chahiye toh. Cold ke liye theek hoga". I responded with - "Illa sir, paravagilla", when I actually wanted to say, "Do not worry, the germs will not spread....grr" thinking that he was more bothered about getting infected than my tribulation. 20 minutes later when I got down from my seat in preparation to alighting at my stop, the driver spoke to me again, this time in Kannada - "AC ಯಾವಾಗಲು ಒಳ್ಳೇದಲ್ಲ. ನಮಿಗೆ ಕೂಡ adjust ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋದು ಕಷ್ಟ ಆಗುತೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ನಾವು seat ಮೇಲಿನ switch on ಮಾಡದೆ ಕಿಟಕಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳುಥೆವೆ. ಅದರಿಂದ ರೋಗಗಳು ಕಮ್ಮಿ."

This is when I realized that I was so wrong in assuming that his advice was anything but concern for a fellow human being. Cringing inwardly, I responded to him more courteously and thanked him before getting off at my stop.

There is hope for this world!!!